I was delighted to get my hands on a copy of Laura Morelli’s new book “The Gondola Maker”. The book caught my attention from the first line: “I chew my lower lip while I wait to see my father’s gondola catch fire” and all held it all the way to the very final sentence: “Gently, I open the door.” It is intriguing that the book starts with the “ending” of something beautiful and concludes with the anticipation of a new “beginning”. In between, Morelli takes us on a beautiful journey through 16th c Venice, in which the protagonist Luca Vianello rejects his destiny and embraces a new fate. It is a coming to age novel that flows beautifully, as the waters in the canals of Venice when it was a Great and most Serene Republic ruled by a Doge.

Morelli crafts a story that is rich in detail and it is obvious that she is greatly interested in painting a more complete picture about Venetian artisans, how they closely guard their craft secrets and how they pass their torch from one generation to the next. In “The Gondola Maker” we learn a great deal about the craftsmanship of gondola making, but there is a balance between extensive scholarly research, facts and details and the fictional story line. The story moves at a brisk pace as we follow the adventures of Luca, a young man in his early twenties, who is forced to leave home after an accidental tragedy strikes his father’s “squero” o “cantieri” / boat yard.

As Luca flees his neighborhood of boat builders and strikes off on his own, we discover Venice through his eyes. Surprisingly, although born and raised in Venice, Luca has never stepped foot outside his father’s workshop and is quite unfamiliar with all Venice has to offer him. As he leaves his home and attempts to make a new start, we follow him to the convent of Santa Marta a place for outcasts, to the warehouses and working quarters of Venice, to the taverns, to the public latrines and ultimately to the infamous Venetian dungeons located under Palace of the Doge.

We also take gondola rides with Luca and through his eyes we catch our first glimpses of the ornate palazzos that line the grand canal. Along side Luca we also have entrée into Venice’s grand balls disguised in costume, to meet with money lenders and rub shoulders with Venice’s elite. We also enter the studio of an artist and learn how the apprentices mixed ground glass particles with pigment to achieve a translucency, a secret known only to venetian painters. Certainly we also spend a great deal of time in the boat yards, learning how to fashion a gondola, from the very first rib to the last detail – the oar.

Although a fictional story, throughout the book Morelli weaves into her plot, incidents that are recorded in historical Venetian documents. It becomes quite clear that Venice operated under strict social class guidelines. People’s lives were dictated by family and class connections. The working class struggled to survive and for a bite of bread, while the rich enjoyed luxuries and ample amounts of food. Fortunes were made and enjoyed, but if lost, entire families were destroyed. Punishment was swiftly, and more often than not cruelly dealt out and perpetrators were either tossed to slave galleys or locked up in dungeons and never seen again. Women had no say about their destinies. Their fates were tied to an artfully arranged marriage at an early age. They were no more than bartering chips and were bought and sold like property. If no suitor could be found, or there were too many females in a household, they were sent to convents to avoid paying for dowries. A woman’s role in 15th century Venice was to produce children and met their demise at an early age, in child birth.

In such a rigid social cast such as 16th century Venice, it was hard to reinvent oneself and reject one’s heritage. Furthermore, young boat makers did not associate with young women from the privileged upper class, unless there was some misfortune and extreme circumstances to change one’s fate. This is the case for our young protagonist, Luca. As he grapples with a past that has gone awry and struggles to build a new future, in the end he is faced with the possibility of mending past relationships and embracing a new and previously unattainable love. I enjoyed my boat ride in “The Gondola Maker” and was satisfied with the conclusion. There was just enough foreshadowing and historical precedent for me to draw my own conclusions about the ultimate fate of Luca.

To sum up: I found “The Gondola Maker” to be an excellent read. It is rich in historic detail and I enjoyed the story very much. Morelli kept the Gondola afloat until the very end. Well done! Grazie Laura for a lovely work of fiction!

Ciao Laura! I really did love your book. The story was wonderful and so full of great details. It is nice to come across a book that leaves you satisfied at the end. Looking forward to your next project. A presto!

What an awesome post and giveaway! I missed the chance to participate in the book tour and so upon seeing your post I saw hope that perhaps I could have a chance to own this book after all! I’m a big fan of Italy having been there twice last year and this year. This year it was for three months from June to September. I haven’t been to Venice so I’m really hoping for it! Thank you again!

Ciao Alice! Thanks for stopping by! Good luck in the book contest. Where were you this year in Italy? Would love to hear about your Italy experiences. I will be in Rome next July and Lucca next September! You should join me and work on your Italian! A presto!